🚀 go-pugleaf

From article <1991May15.173908.12999@unlv.edu>, by grover@dawkins.cs.unlv.edu (Kevin Grover):
> In article <1642@msa3b.UUCP>, kevin@msa3b.UUCP (Kevin P. Kleinfelter) writes:
> ) 
> ) Scenario: I've got lots of stuff on a disk I'd like to keep CONFIDENTIAL.
> )           I'd like to make sure that NOONE but I can get to the data on the
> )           entire disk.
> ) 
> ) Proposal: I'd like a device driver, which manages the hard disk, and
> )           encrypts all data written to the disk.  I'd like the
> )           device driver to prompt me to enter the encryption key when
> )           the system boots.
>
> Norton 5.0 has something that sounds exaclty like what you described.  You create
> virtual disks, any time you try to access files on the virtual disk, you are 
> prompted for a password.  The virtual disk is then 'open' until you close, in
> which case you would need to enter the password again to gain access.
> (I suppose you could make most of the disk virtual, although I imagine that
> the config.sys, autoexec.bat, and system files must be readable for boot, but
> I am not sure of the specifics.)

This sounds like false security to me. Note - I have not evaluated this
product. There is, however, a "theorem" in security that states that
there can be no secure computer system without some physical security.
	This is a "theorem" in that I am not sure it can be rigorously
	proven, but I am sure it is true to a high degree of confidence.
From the above description, I suspect that there is no physical security,
and hence no real security. In particular, an attacker could install
a Trojan Horse on the boot disk to save all keystrokes; later the
attacker reads back the keystrokes and searches for the password
used to unlock the "secure" partition(s). It is IMPOSSIBLE for the
password routine to ensure that this did not happen. The password routine
could make it very difficult, but the systems I have evaluated made no
such effort - it was EASY to defeat them.

There are no shortcuts to security. The best and simplest method is to
use ONLY removeable media, and to keep them all locked up when not
in use. This MUST include your boot disk and all application programs.
It is also possible to design a system which encrypts the ENTIRE disk,
boot-sector and all; you then boot from a floppy which is kept locked
up. As soon as you have an unencrypted fixed hard disk, you cannot have
any real security, because someone could install Trojan Horses on it.

	I am assuming that you have no real physical security to
	control access to the PC - the usual case. If access is
	controlled, then you probably don't need any security software
	inside the PC. Note that Department of Defense requirements are
	more stringent.

BEWARE - computer security is a VERY DIFFICULT undertaking. There are
several vendors which purport to provide "PC Security Systems" or
"PC Security Software", which are useless against a moderately
knowledgeable attacker. If you need REAL security, you need to
consult an expert.

Tom Roberts
att!ihlpl!tjrob  TJROB@IHLPL.ATT.COM